All Wrapped Up In You
by ravenbard
Summary: Pam and Tara spend a quiet first Christmas together.


**TITLE:** All Wrapped Up In You

**RATING:** T for one teeny tiny swear word and possible innuendo

**PAIRING:** Pam/Tara

**SYNOPSIS:** Pam and Tara spend a quiet first Christmas together.

**A/N** – So, I needed a break from all the angst I've been dealing out in _It's All Coming Back To Me Now_. Plus, Christmas is nearing and I don't know about you but I _love_ this time of the year. There's something both simultaneously romantic and magical about Christmas that I simply adore. So to start off this wonderful month of the year, here's a Christmas themed one-shot for y'all! Happy reading!

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Pam found Tara leaning against the railing of the front porch, head tilted up in wonder as eyes cut from pure obsidian tracked flurries of snow that glided languidly down from a midnight blue sky. The blonde took a moment to observe her lover; the younger vampire was attired in a knee length silk emerald dress, its straps sitting just off a pair of strong shoulders. Her hair was a silken sable sheet, lightly curled and worn loose. It cascaded down her back in carefree waves whilst a few loose locks were left to frame a face that was currently colored over with the enchantment of a child at Christmas morning.

The sight of her progeny so relaxed, so enraptured by her surroundings was arresting to Pam and she couldn't help the soft, fond smile that always appeared unbidden on her lips whenever her smoky blue gaze found her mate.

The blonde made her way up to Tara until she was almost pressed up against the younger vampire's back. One pale, slender hand reached up to brush aside Tara's hair so that bee-stung lips could place a lingering kiss to the side of an ebony hued neck.

"Come inside," Pam husked into a nearby ear. The smile on her face grew as her raspy Southern drawl elicited a shiver from her progeny. Arms of ivory snaked around Tara's waist, drawing the younger vampire even closer to the blonde.

"In a little while," Tara returned, her voice aching with love for the woman behind her. She turned and whispered a kiss to Pam's cheek, lips lingering to infuse themselves with the unique scent that was her lover.

Pam's eyes closed involuntarily as Tara's lips touched her skin. As always, Tara's touch, whether it be her hands, her lips or just a sweep of her eyes, never failed to wrap the blonde in a layer of warmth and peace that she had never known existed prior to their relationship. She sighed happily, dreamily, as Tara dropped another kiss to the side of her jaw.

_Take my hand  
Take my heart  
Take my whole life too_

From inside of the house, the low strains of a sweet Christmas tune drifted out to tickle the entwined vampires' sensitive ears. Tara simply smiled, leaned back against Pam and returned her gaze to the winter wonderland scenery before her.

_Take your time  
Take my love  
It's good and pure and true_

Pam followed Tara's awed gaze, her ultra-keen eyesight picking out each unique snowflake that fluttered down from the midnight stained sky. When Tara's hands dropped over her own that were currently fanned across Tara's stomach, Pam took the opportunity to entangle their fingers.

_The gift of love is hard to find  
I've searched my whole life through_

"It's so beautiful," Tara observed, her quiet tone breaking the comfortable silence between them. Wonder was etched in her tone just as it was painted across her face and between them the bond was alive with contentment, awe, happiness and above all, love.

"Yes," Pam replied, her eyes not on the falling snow but on her lover. Cerulean blue eyes were iridescent with a love that was resolute and unwavering. "You are."

_God above has smiled on us  
This Christmas, I got you_

The affection and adoration in Pam's tone was so blatant and unapologetic that if Tara could have still blushed, her cheeks would have warmed from her lover's shameless compliment. Instead, she ducked her head bashfully and murmured, "I meant the snow."

"That too," Pam drawled, her dry cadence momentarily back in place. Her arms tightened around her lover and that soft, "head-over-heels" smile reappeared on her face when Tara instinctively snuggled into her embrace. Pam lowered her head and pressed her lips to her lover's temple, her lips lingering against impossibly soft skin that carried a scent Pam knew better than her own body.

"Beloved," she whispered lovingly to Tara, her voice almost breaking under the weight of her love and devotion to the woman she currently held so dearly. "My beloved," she repeated, her eyes stinging with tears. Happy tears.

Tara choked on a sob, failed to suppress a tremor that ran rampant through her lithe frame and turned in the circle of Pam's arms to cup the blonde's face in the palms of her hands.

"I love you," Tara declared, her voice husky with devotion, her eyes blotting over with blood-tears. Strong, supple fingers caressed the soft skin of Pam's cheeks. She sealed her declaration with slow, deep kiss that warmed their bodies and set their hearts aflame.

'_Tis the season to be jolly  
How could I feel blue?_

Pam gently pressed Tara against porch railing, one hand reaching up to dance the pads of her fingers against Tara's cheek. They wandered up smooth ebony skin, reached Tara's hairline then began sifting soft, silken strands of sable hair through careful and loving fingers.

Tara relished the feel of Pam playing almost absentmindedly with her hair. Her lips were busy as they worshipped every nook and cranny of Pam's mouth, her tongue laving affection, passion and love over kiss-bruised lips.

_My gift to you  
My gift of love  
All wrapped up in you_

"Come inside," Pam implored again when their lips reluctantly parted. She ran the back of her hand down the side of Tara's face, affection in every unhurried move.

"Dance with me first," Tara evaded, her eyes twinkling with mirth as they locked onto a pair of incredulous cobalt blue ones.

"Tara, it's cold out here," Pam complained, though her protest was half-hearted and completely unjustified considering that as vampires, they were impervious to the elements of nature.

"Dance with me," Tara insisted. She held out a cordial hand and smiled with shy delight as Pam immediately slipped her hand into her progeny's. Tara used their newly entwined hands to tug Pam closer. She slipped an arm around the blonde's waist and began a slow swaying on the spot.

_In ribbons bright of joy and light  
In bows of hope and truth_

"What's so interesting inside?" Tara inquired as she began leading them in a small circle on the front porch.

"Well, now you'll find out when we go inside, won't you?" Pam murmured, her voice drowsy with pleasure as Tara danced them around the porch. She rested her head on Tara's shoulder, content to let her lover lead though she deliberately distracted Tara by exploring the rippling musculature that was Tara's upper back. Everywhere her touch went, a shiver followed and Pam didn't even bother to stop the satisfied smirk that crawled across her face when Tara's feet fumbled more than once.

_Bound and tied  
This gift for life_

"You play dirty," Tara muttered, not all displeased as Pam drew out another shiver from her by running a lone finger down the line of her spine.

"You love it when I play dirty," Pam countered playfully, lifting her head so that she could present her lover with her patented smirk that was all kinds of wicked and just a tad sinful.

Tara chuckled and danced them to the front door. She let go of Pam's hand and turned the knob, pushing open the door before stepping aside to allow Pam in first. She then followed, closing the door behind her with a quiet snick.

_And all wrapped up in you  
I'm all wrapped up in you_

"Come," Pam instructed, holding out her hand for Tara to take. When their palms touched, the blonde led them into the living room where a gigantic tree sat on the carpeted floor and kissed the ceiling. It was beautifully decorated, dressed to the nines with tinsel, ribbons, ornaments and lights that winked out intermittent colors of red, gold, green and blue.

A cheerful fire blazed in its place behind the grate of the fireplace, its tongues of fiery orange-red dancing merrily to a tune only it could hear. Beneath it, logs of wood crackled, and shifted, sending sparks around the swaying fire like mini fireworks.

"Sit," Pam ordered as she led Tara to the couch.

"Come. Sit," Tara mimicked sarcastically though the amusement in her eyes took away the sting of her words. "What I am I? Your pet?"

"Yes," Pam sassed, leaning down to steal a kiss. "Stay," she murmured against Tara's lips, her own curving when she felt more than heard her lover's impatient huff. "Please," she added, pressing her lips back against Tara's mouth.

Tara merely returned Pam's quick but thorough kiss before pulling away to sit back against the couch. Pam touched her cheek in affection then straightened and made her way to the tree. Chips of dark chocolate watched with growing curiosity as her lover bent and sorted through the myriad of different shaped gifts before picking up a small, seemingly nondescript box wrapped expertly in green and gold.

Tara's curiosity peaked when she felt a stab of uncertainty and insecurity from Pam's end of the blonde. She kept silent however, as Pam walked back to her, cradling the box in the palm of her hand as though it were a fragile piece of china. The leggy vampire took a seat next to Tara and simply held the box out.

Tara took it gingerly, as if it were a bomb about to detonate. Strong fingers shook slightly as they began picking at the wrapping with great delicacy.

"It's not going to bite you, Tara," Pam huffed impatiently when Tara continued to slowly pick at the wrapping.

Tara emitted a low chuckle, her lover's ire flaring down from the blonde's end of the blonde. She tore open the rest of the wrapping, which quickly fell away to reveal a simple black, ring box. The younger vampire's eyes widened almost comically as her gaze registered the object she now held in the palm of her hand.

"Don't freak out," Pam said, panic seeping into her voice upon Tara's "deer-in-the-headlights" look.

"I'm freaking out," Tara squeaked, her voice pitched higher than normal. Wide eyes flickered between Pam and the box, as if she could decipher exactly what Pam was trying to convey by giving her this potentially disastrous gift.

"What did I just say?" Pam snapped. She reached over and snapped opened the box, her entire body tense with trepidation but her frame sagged like a air being let out of a balloon when Tara's slightly traumatized expression turned into one of curious admiration.

"It's a Claddagh ring," the blonde explained softly, her voice losing its usual drawl and witty edge. She took it out of its snug, velvet bed and held it between her thumb and forefinger. "The hands represent friendship, the crown, loyalty and the heart…" Pam paused to look up into Tara's eyes. "The heart represents love."

"It's beautiful," Tara said, her voice no louder than a whisper lest she break the spell Pam had begun to weave between them. "Pam…"

"I'm not proposing marriage," Pam interjected then quickly hurried her explanation along when she felt a lick of hurt and disappointment emanate from Tara's end of the bond.

"What we have goes beyond something as trivial as marriage. We are bonded beyond the hands of law, bonded deeper and more absolute than any piece of paper can declare." She took Tara's right hand and positioned the ring, heart pointing inwards, above Tara's fourth finger. "I just want to let you know that you mean _everything_ to me." Blue eyes bore unrelentingly into a pair of coffee-brown eyes that were burning with such undying love that Pam almost had to look away. "You _are_ everything, Tara. My friend, my mate, my lover, my _world_." Another pause as the blonde searched for even a shred of doubt in Tara's unblinking gaze. "I also want you to know that I'm yours. Completely."

Pam then sucked in a needless breath. "Will you accept this ring as a token of my love for you?"

"Yes," Tara whispered, completely dumbstruck by Pam's gift and rather drunk on the cocktail of loving, wanting and need pouring down from her lover's end of the bond. "Fuck, _yes_," she repeated fiercely.

Pam laughed at Tara's zeal then sighed in relief and slipped the ring onto Tara's finger. It was a perfect fit. "When you wear the ring with the heart pointing towards you, it means you belong to someone. That you're taken," she murmured. "And you are. You're mine," she declared softly but firmly.

"All yours," Tara agreed just as softly. She rocked forward to brush her lips against Pam's. "I'm afraid my gifts for you are going to pale in comparison to this one," she murmured against the blonde's lips, a trace of apology lingering in her tone.

"Tara, _you_ are my gift."

The two traded soft kisses and lingering touches before Tara pulled back to admire the ring. She lifted her hand so that the ring glinted off the firelight, and obsidian eyes tracked over its simple design that was already etched into her memory, its meaning forever imprinted onto her heart.

"It's white gold," Pam stated. She took the hand that wore the ring and brought it up to her lips to deliver a heartfelt kiss. "Merry Christmas, Tara."

Tara reached over with her free hand to tenderly cup Pam's cheek. Leaning forward she brushed her lips against Pam's in a manner that sent a powerful frisson of love and desire to pulsate down the bond. "Merry Christmas, Pam."

_My gift to you, my gift of love  
All wrapped up in you_

**THE END**

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**A/N 2** – Song used is, _All Wrapped Up In You_, by Dolly Parton. Obviously, I also borrowed the title of the song for this story. This Christmas tune comes courtesy from one of my all time favorite Christmas movies, _A Smoky Mountain Christmas_. It's a little corny, a little cheesy but oh, so heartwarming.


End file.
